1949
by Anabely
Summary: AU.  Bella was born in 1927, not 1987.  What changes?  Many events of Twilight and NM are canon.  Vamp/human.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

The girl took another small sip of her steaming tea, filled with sugar and milk. How long would they let her stay here sipping tea? She could not afford to buy another cup and she did not want to leave the warm diner, far warmer than the tiny apartment she had rented for the next six months. She missed the warmth of her home. She had grown up in Phoenix, a city she had imagined to be large until arriving on the East Coast. This diner was nothing like any place she had been in Phoenix and the stuffy warmth—with underlying smells of humans and food—was nothing like the dry heat of the house she had lived in as a child. She had never been to a diner at all until she was 17 years old. That thought would lead in bad directions, though, so the girl pushed her mind off in another direction.

There was another reason the girl wanted to stay in the diner. It was a public place. There were at least 30 people in it, plus the staff, and with three people working here, even if every customer left, she would not be alone. The girl wanted to be alone only when she was asleep. She needed to be alone in her sleep because of the nightmares. Otherwise, she might consider sleeping with men just to avoid ever being alone. No, she wouldn't do that. One man alone in a bedroom would not protect her like 2 women and a man in a diner would. One man alone in a bedroom would be quickly murdered in order to get at her. Three people in a diner would be left alone. Whenever it got to the time when Bella was caught, she hoped that she took no one with her.

Today in particular was a bad day for the girl to be anywhere alone. It was early Spring in Philadelphia, which sounded as though it ought to be lovely, but really it was still cold and rather rainy. Rain or even just overcast skies were dangerous for the girl. The rain, though, was alternating with patches of sun, and perhaps Bella could leave the diner and go to a public library, or maybe the train station, during one of those patches of sunlight—if they asked her to leave. Most tables were filled and she had already eaten soup and then extended her time by ordering the tea which she really couldn't afford.

The girl wrapped her gloved hands around the tea cup for warmth as she wished again that she could find a small town to live in. A very small town, as small as Forks. Not smaller, though. A town with 5-10 businesses so Bella would never need to leave it again. That way, it would be pure random chance that would make anyone find her. She might live her whole like safely in a small town. She would never be sure, but the chances seemed so much higher.

The girl felt that part of the reason she was still alive was that she had taken a lift from a family in Seattle over three years ago and just left them when they drove through a small town in Nebraska. She'd stayed there for 2 years until her money started running out. Then she'd traveled to Chicago to find work, then New York, and now Philadelphia. She had chosen those places because she had to rely on free transportation as much as possible. She had stolen a train ticket to get from Chicago to New York, but she'd paid for the bus ticket from New York to Philadelphia. After all, Philadelphia was only a few hours from New York City.

Cities were probably more dangerous than small towns. The girl had to travel to many different neighborhoods in the cities she had tried to live in since a place to live was never to be found in the same location as the jobs. But cities were the only place an unconnected woman could get work right now. With all of the men coming back from war a few years ago, there were fewer jobs for women than there had been and few jobs for anyone in small towns. So cities were the only place Bella could live. Not that she'd found a job yet in Philadelphia.

The girl jolted her cup again as the bell on the door rang. She did this every time someone walked in or out. She thought the waitress had noticed and that perhaps that was why no one was saying anything about her needing to leave soon, what with ordering the cheapest things she could. The girl had learned over the last 3 (it was 3 and a half, not 3!) that some women knew when other women were on the run. She'd talked to some herself. They never shared what had happened to them or asked her what happened to her, but they always offered whatever assistance they had available. Apparently, she had the same look those women do, a hunted look. Of course, they all assumed she was on the run from a man, not a woman. The girl wondered what they would say if she ever told them just who was hunting her. Maybe the waitress recognized the look, or the fear Bella felt every time a new person walked in.

"Ma'am, may I join you?" A slow and hesitant Southern voice brought Bella from her reverie. "There aren't any free tables."

The girl jerked her head up to stare at the man and felt fear, relief, and resignation swirling around inside of her, together but not quite mixing. His eyes were reddish, but black and bruised looking.

It took the girl a moment to answer. "Yes, of course. I don't have any choice, do I?"

The man looked at her, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. He looked as if he were trying to decide what to say as he put his hat on the table and sat down.

The girl knew this was it. Victoria's friends had finally found her and this man would stay with her until she left, taking her off to the woods or some abandoned place to torture and kill her. Well, she could try to make a scene, but it looked like no one else would have to die with her so long as she did what this man said. At least she had saved her family and had a few more years than she would have had if she had stayed in Forks. Three, almost four more years of life. Her life might be over, but so was the delay of the inevitable-and the dread.

She looked the man directly in his red eyes. "You've kept me waiting a long time."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 2

Jasper controlled his desire to panic. The human appeared to have expectations of him that he was not sure how to meet. Had she seen him before? Surely that was unlikely. He did not remember her. Coming into this diner had been a bad idea, too many humans in a warm, close environment, but the sun was peaking out from behind the rainy day and he was risking exposure outside. He needed somewhere to stay for a while.

Surely he could handle the human, dazzle her if necessary? He preferred not to do that, raise expectations and lust levels all at once. He didn't want to feel the lust. He sent a tiny bit of relaxation and trust towards the human, just a little so that she wouldn't think of it as a foreign emotion. He would build it over the next few minutes. That should solve the problem.

He was still left with the problem of what to say. _You've kept me waiting a long time?_ What could she possibly mean? Perhaps the human was not altogether sane. He fell back on long ago training from when _he_ was human, too, and decided that politeness was soothing yet noncommittal.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He sent a little more trust towards her.

Should he ask what she had been waiting for? No, let her take the lead. He would prefer no conversation at all. Passing as a human was too difficult. He should find somewhere to stay permanently and leave only when he absolutely had to feed.

She was flabbergasted. Flabbergasted was a brew of emotions: largely extreme disbelief, mixed with a pinch of anger, a wallop of surprise, and a preparedness to find whatever had just happened extremely funny. Her face only showed the disbelief. She looked at him as if she thought he was the one who might be not altogether sane. Then she was filled with caution and wariness, and her anger level increased. The trust he was sending did not appear to be working.

Before she could say anything the waitress came over and asked him for his order. The waitress also looked at the human girl as if expecting her to leave. The girl flushed and was filled with shame and desperation. Jasper looked around. If she left, he would probably have to deal with other humans, and the waitress was sending lots of lust at him. The girl was not. She could offer him protection from all of the other humans, even if it meant he would have to cope with her.

"Won't you stay a little longer?" Jasper asked the girl. "I'd be happy to get you another drink and anything else you might like." He looked dubiously at the cup and pot before her. What was it? Coffee? He remembered coffee over the fire in the morning as something almost everyone drank.

She had been feeling dubious and a little condescending as he placed his order, but her emotions suddenly switched to calculating. She smiled at him as if she had just won an argument they were having.

"I will, thank you. A tuna sandwich and another bowl of soup as well as a new pot of tea." The girl looked at him while placing the order not the waitress. Was that normal?

The girl waited until the waitress left and then told Jasper, "It will take at least 15 minutes for the food to arrive and then we have to spend a minimum of 15 minutes eating it. Otherwise people will think something is odd. Then you have to pay the check at the desk. That could take time, too, if there's a line." A ring of victory echoed from the girl as she spoke.

This was just the sort of information that Jasper was looking for, but he couldn't understand why the girl had told him. Over half an hour. It should be almost dusk by the time he had to leave. Perfect. So long as he could handle the girl successfully—and no one suddenly had an open wound—he would be fine. He would make sure not to get in another such situation again.

There was a pause in the conversation and Jasper felt awkward. The girl's expectations were pressing in on him and he knew that a man who offered food to a girl would probably start a conversation with her, so he really ought to find something to say. He rejected several options and fell back on noncommittal politeness again.

"Thank you for joining me."

The girl gaped at him in open disbelief. "It's not particularly voluntary. What choice do I have?" echoing what she had said before.

Jasper simply had no idea how to respond to that. He tried a new tactic. Honesty. "I have no idea what to say, ma'am."

The girl looked at him with contempt. Her emotions, though, were more confused than contemptuous. "Then perhaps you should say nothing at all."

Jasper could not keep the look of relief off of his face. "Alright ma'am."

They sat in silence for over 10 minutes. Jasper thought again of finding a remote, human-free place to hand his hat, not too far from a city, where he could just exist without worrying about anything. It was only a dream, he knew that. Feeding was an even worse problem when he was away from humans. If he was alone and hungry for long periods of time he would start to obsess about feeding until he could think of nothing else and then finally he would snap and go after a large number of humans. He had no Peter, no Charlotte to help him cover up taking out a house, or bar or hotel of people. Or a diner like the one he was in right now. He was on his own to force himself not to do something like that ever again.

The human seemed to be dreaming, too. Her emotions had changed completely and drifted toward much more positive ones until suddenly he was hit by a blast of horrible pain. Loss, abandonment,unworthiness, a confirmation of fear, an acceptance. He had felt worse from many newborns, and much worse from Peter when he thought Charlotte was going to die, but this pain was bad. He looked at the human girl for the first time, trying to see who she was, what she needed instead of simply trying to figure out what she expected from him.

She was wholesome. Or, she had been. She seemed completely defeated right now, feeling that pain. He realized before that all of her feelings and actions up until now had been some kind of defiance. A defiance of the pain? He wasn't sure what she was defying, but she had been fighting back against whatever had caused this.

Defiance of pain was something he could understand. He was tempted to send her calm or understanding or even some love, but he wasn't sure he could get through the pain enough without taking some of it in himself. Influencing emotions was easy but changing them completely to something opposite to what they were was far more difficult and he was already under some strain, smelling all of these humans around him. He paused for a few moments, unsure what to do, and then realized he could offer comfort without using his gift. If she rejected him, that would be fine, he would be leaving this girl in another 20 minutes or so, but if she accepted then maybe the awful pain would stop, and perhaps he might even be able to help her a little.

Jasper reached out and lightly covered the girl's balled up hand with his own. She was gloved so he did not need to fear her reaction to his cold hands.

"Can I help?" He asked.

The girl had to fight through her emotions to even lift her head and look at him. He felt her try to push them away to find cohesion or clarity. She opened her mouth but did not speak. She looked at him. Her disbelief came back, but this time it had more of an edge of puzzlement to it. The disbelief was a small feeling, now, anyway. It could not compete with her other feelings.

They stared at each other, and then the girl pulled her hand away. Jasper was not used to humans, though, and hung on to her glove without intending to. It pulled part way off her hand.

Jasper hissed. He was no longer quite so concerned about appearing human. He looked in horror at the girl. And felt the mantle of command settle on his shoulders. Some of the girl's remarks made more sense now.

The girl felt shame as she pulled up her glove.

Jasper reached out and grabbed the girl's wrist firmly. He would no longer be leaving the diner without her. He spoke a little faster than a human would in his shock and need to understand. "How in hell did you get a scar like that?"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 3

The girl stumbled against him for the second time. She did not apologize for her clumsiness, nor did he apologize for his speed. In fact, neither of them had said anything since the girl had directed him toward her apartment. He had taken hold of the girl's arm when they left the diner, ready to control her if necessary, but she had offered no resistance at all. He had not even sent out acceptance or submission to her after the first initial panic at the diner.

Panic was not a word Jasper wanted to think about right now. He was trying very hard to live in the moment so that he could avoid thinking about the choices he was about to make. He did not like killing girls like her. He tried to pick out hardened men, men like he used to be, men like (he feared) he was still, when he had to eat. Feeling what they felt as the life bled out of them was a just punishment on him. He knew what his own death would feel like if justice ever fell on him. But there were only a few possible ways this current situation could play out and eating the girl was the most likely.

A part of him wanted to drink her blood. The part of him that was constantly aware that it was 3 weeks since he last fed and that while he could probably last another 3 weeks, it would be so nice to feed now.

But he really didn't want to feed off of this girl. He hadn't killed someone like her since he left Mexico.

The girl pulled suddenly toward a building and he might have thought she was trying to get away if her emotions had changed in anyway. It appeared that they were at her apartment.

He carried two chairs into her bedroom for them to sit on at her request. There were only two small rooms and the girl did not want to stay in the front room for some reason. Another slightly puzzling thing about her. Jasper was starting to think that perhaps the girl was truly strange and that he would not find other humans so confusing. She was certainly the only human he had ever heard of with a vampire bite.

"Alright, little girl, tell me about how you got that bite."

She felt a mild bit of hesitance.

"I will tell you, of course, but I don't understand why you care. Why not just take me to Victoria? Why waste my time and yours?"

Jasper interest increased and his confusion lessened. They were starting to move into his area of expertise. Clearly a vampire was chasing the girl. How this had happened in the first place was unknown, and the vampire may simply be trying to make sure no human who knew the secret was left alive. It might also be some kind of revenge. How the girl had managed to get away form whatever the vampire would be interesting. She was not even more than moderately afraid of him. The girl was unique.

"I think that we are talkin' at cross purposes. I don't know Victoria. I have my own reasons for asking which I will explain if you request it of me. But first, I have asked that you tell me about the bite. Explain. Continue on to this Victoria if she is not the one who bit you."

The girl had been astonished and disbelieving when he said he did not know Victoria, but something about what he said seemed to convince her that he might be telling the truth. She looked at him appraisingly, something she had not done before.

The story stumbled out of her.

"I met Edward at high school in a small town, Forks, in Washington State. I had just moved back there and his family had moved to Forks the year before. He reacted strangely when I met him and saved me from being hit by a truck before school one morning. He held the truck back with his hands. I figured out he was a vampire and I thought I was in love with him. He told me he loved me. I met his family. Edward refused to turn me, but his sister said I would be a vampire and I thought he would change his mind.

"The family took me with them for an afternoon to a clearing where they played baseball. I had a picnic lunch while they played baseball. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. I couldn't even see the bats swing except as a sort of blur. Alice was suddenly terrified and three nomad vampires came out of the trees. We were all standing together by then and so the nomads did not realize for a few minutes that I was human. When they did they started to attack, but backed off and left. We ran toward their house because Edward said that one of the nomads, James, was a tracker and was intending to come after me. I'm not sure the details matter, but Alice took me to Phoenix where my mother lived until recently. I thought James had her so I went to him so that he would let her go. He didn't have her at all, and he hit me several times and then bit me. Edward and the family arrived and killed James. Edward sucked the venom out of my wrist. He really did not want me to be changed.

"On my 18th birthday, Alice—Edward's sister—insisted on having a party for me at their home and I cut my finger on some butcher's paper they used to wrap a present and bled. Em, Emmett, Edward's brother, was overwhelmed and attacked me. I didn't see any of the family after that night except Edward. He and Alice didn't come to school for three days and then he met me at my house after school. He took me for a walk in the woods and told me that I wasn't good for him and that he didn't love me and he left me there. I ran after him and got lost. I was found a many hours later and brought home. The whole town had put together a search party." The girl's monotone voice did not seem to break even when she took a breath.

"I didn't go to school again. I hardly left my room over the next two weeks. It hurt so much that it had all been lies, and there was no one I could talk to honestly. I was starting to pull myself together again, cooking again, and I went out shopping for dinner. When I returned home, my father was dead. There was a note from Victoria taunting me about his death and promising that I was next. She and Laurent were the other two nomads, you see, who were with James. I think she wants revenge. I don't know why she let me go. Maybe she didn't think I would run? But there was nothing left for me with my father dead. I've been moving around since September 1945. I don't know if she's been watching me the whole time or if I've lost her. I thought she sent you to take me."

The girl's emotions had been as flat as the expression on her face throughout the story except when she told me of the vampire whelp leaving her in the woods. Was the boy a miserable coward or did he play with his food? In that case, why had he not fed from her at the end? Why had the rest of the coven left her alive? Had he perhaps fooled them into thinking he had eaten her? The story did not add up. The part with the nomads made sense, but the strange coven was virtually impossible. The girl was telling the truth, though, at least so far as she knew.

"Was Victoria mated to the one who died? James?"

For the first time, the girl did not seem to know how to answer. "I don't know. No one said. There were two sets of mates in Edward's family, and Edward said I was his mate, but I don't know what that means anymore."

"I expect she was his mate. Once vampires have mated, they have a hard time livin' without each other. Most vampires who have a mate die are either vengeful or suicidal. It's not clear to me why she blames you stead of this Edward—did he kill James or was it another member of the coven?—but she may have come back after Edward's coven left and found only you to target. It was sloppy of them to have left the other two nomads alive even if none were mated. Not only might they have come after the coven, but both vampires knew about you."

"Why would that matter?"

Jasper felt himself getting angry. The incompetence of this coven went beyond cruelty. It was a mess. The girl saw his anger and finally started to fear him, thinking he was angry with her. She should be fearful. She should have been more fearful all along and she might not have been up a creek without a paddle like this.

Well, he was her paddle now. He just wasn't sure if he would be saving her or beating her to death. His preference at this point was to keep her alive just to spite Edward and his coven, but he saw no other option but turning her. He couldn't leave her alive. Even if he found and killed the nomads, other vampires might see her scar. She would always be in danger. Either way, he would take responsibility where others had not. Starting with giving her real information.

"Did no one tell you of the Volturi?"

"The vampire rulers? Yes, but why do they matter? Would they stop Victoria?" The girl's ignorance was astounding.

"They would help Victoria. The Volturi do not care about revenge one way or the other. They do care if humans know that vampires exist. Your life is forfeit if they find out and they would see it as the job of every vampire to kill you. Edward's coven would likely be punished or killed for leavin' you alone with knowledge of our kind." Jasper stopped speaking, waiting to see if she would think through the implications of what he had just said. Would she finally be afraid of him?

The girl looked at her hands in her lap. One hand casually atop the other. Ladylike. Her feelings flashed anger outside of the vagueness they had contained before. Anger was good. Anger and fear had been missing from this girl. They would help her survive.

"They knew. They must have known. They left me there knowing that at some point the Volturi would come for me. Or that Victoria or Laurent might."

Jasper realized that the girl's anger could be focused on specifics if her helped her analyze the situation. "It is so unlikely as to be impossible that a coven with 5 vampires in it did not have enough information about the Volturi to know that they were breakin' the law in telling you the secret. It is also unlikely, but not as impossible, that they did not know that Victoria or Laurent might come after you. However—"

The girl cut him off.

"They knew about the Volturi. Carlisle lived with the Volturi for years. They knew." The girls' mounting anger was hardly showing in her voice.

"There you go. They may not have thought about the nomads. This coven seems incompetent to me. They should have killed the nomads immediately the mindreader heard their intentions. Anythin' else was foolish. And Victoria or Laurent is more likely to go after the coven than you, unless they felt they had no chance against 5 vampires, one a mindreader. Did they know of his talent? The coven may have left you behind as an offering. That's just speculation."

The girl looked sick to her stomach. She spoke more to herself than to Jasper.

"Would they really do that? That does explain why they didn't kill me when they knew the Volturi might punish them."

"I think it's more likely they didn't really understand the threat from the nomads. It's more consistent with lettin' them go in the first place. Taking you out in the woods and leavin' you is a real dastardly act, though, and that's consistent with leaving you for the nomads."

The girl did not seem to know how to respond to this. Jasper supposed there really wasn't anything to say. Without more information, which the girl did not appear to have, they could not draw conclusions about the coven's motivations.

She looked him in the eye for the first time. "There were 6 vampires in the coven, not 5. You've said 5 twice."

"Two mated couples and Edward. Who's the sixth?"

"Alice wasn't mated." The girl went on to explain what she knew about all 6 vampires, including the coven leader's time with the Volturi and how each of them was changed. Only one, Alice, had been changed by someone other than the leader, and she, too, was gifted. Jasper told the girl that might explain why they seemed incompetent or ignorant about how nomads might behave. Most of them had never lived anything like that lifestyle and they'd certainly never experienced anything like what Jasper had.

The coven still did not make sense to Jasper. How could humans believe so consistently that these were all fellow humans living and working with them? How (and why, for God's sake!) did they all attend high school? How could the coven leader be a doctor working at a hospital and performing surgeries? No matter how well fed they kept themselves, people would have noticed the eyes. And living in a small town, with only a city the size of Seattle nearby was a surefire way to make the humans notice someone was killing them off. There was something wrong still with the shape of the coven as described by the girl.

"I get why they wanted to live in Forks since it was overcast enough that they could go outside most days. But how could 6 vampires live in a small town without people noticin' the deaths?"

The girl stared at him for a moment.

"Didn't I explain about Carlisle? He wouldn't feed when he awoke as a vampire. He'd been hunting vampires and he wouldn't be the thing he hated so much. It took him a long time, but after trying to kill himself over and over, he ended up in a forest and lunged for a deer and ate it. He's never fed from a human and only tasted human blood when he turned Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett. Except for Edward, they've each only killed a few people since they were turned, and always by mistake as far as I know. Eating animals makes their eyes yellow."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 4

Bella thought maybe she should try to run. The vampire had not responded to her for almost 10 minutes now. Bella was unsure if he was thinking or in shock. He was not at all like the Cullens, and not much like Victoria or James so far as she could tell.

She thought she could sense that he might not kill her, that he might help her kill Victoria if she ever came back. The things he said made it seem like he could handle himself in a fight. He had said the Cullens should have killed James, Victoria and Laurent immediately. The Cullens would never have done such a thing, being dedicated to peaceful discussion not violence, and at the time, she would have agreed with them. She no longer agreed. Now she could see that it was absolutely necessary in the world of vampires to behave aggressively in a situation like that. She had always put them on such a pedestal before, but this strange vampire was right; the Cullens had been wrong.

It also made sense that there were such strictly enforced rules about humans knowing about vampires. The Cullens should not have brought her to that baseball game. It was a context which clearly showed that she knew the secret. Any vampire who came across them would have to trust both her and the Cullens not to tell the secret or attack. If James had not been so cruel, if Victoria had killed Bella instead of her father, she might have thought in retrospect that they were merely protecting the secret. Of course, Edward had apologized at the time, but then he did not change his behavior afterwards, continuing to place her in situations she now saw were very dangerous, like bringing her to the meadow so often.

This vampire did not seem to show her any ill will; while he had been intimidating at first, especially at the diner, he was less so now. No, he was still intimidating, but he was intimidating in a different way. He was intimidating because he was so smart. He had seemed to know more than she had told. After all, she had given him only the barest of facts; he had even been confused about the size of the Cullen's family because she had not given him enough information. He had easily come up with theories to explain the events but was clear with both her and himself about what was true and what was speculation.

She knew that he was considering killing her. He had to be. He was now in the position of knowing she knew the secret (how could it be that her life was suddenly like a game little girls play to be cruel to each other?) and he would have to make a decision about what he would do about it. He did not seem like the sort to avoid responsibility and it was clearly the responsibility of every vampire to act on a case like hers.

Did that mean that the Cullens had avoided responsibility when they left her? She had never thought of them like that before. As the strange vampire had pointed out, she really could never know what the Cullens had been thinking.

Bella looked at the vampire again. He still had not moved. She kept most of her things in a suitcase, ready to go. She could pick up her bag and the suitcase and leave. She knew he could follow her, but maybe he wouldn't. Unless he ran into another vampire in the near future who smelled her on him, he could pretend that he had never met her. He would not have to kill her.

If she left and he came after her, he might be mad. Also, she would be in the same situation she was in right now, always on the run from Victoria, never able to make more than fleeting connections with any other person.

The truth was, she did not want to leave the vampire. It had been such a relief to be honest about what had happened to her. She had let it out a little, here and there, but most of it she could not tell. She had told people bits of the truth before: that she had discovered her father's murdered body, that someone wanted to kill her, that she had been thrown over by her boyfriend who had promised to love her forever. Each of those facts had been told to different people who she never saw again, and each was said in a context which made them just as untrue as they were true. Telling those half-truths had let some of the pressure out, but finally telling someone everything, even an abbreviated version which left her feelings out, was SO NICE.

Besides, the vampire was a chance for her to change her life. He did not want to kill her. She knew that. He would never have discussed the situation with her if he did. He might kill her anyway, but she felt somehow if she did and said the right things that he would not only let her live, but protect her. He had taken the time to listen to her and talk to her. He was the only chance she had to make her situation any different than it was right now.

If she took her suitcase and left, hurriedly putting on gloves and hat as she walked down the stairs, she would have shown to him that she was not willing to trust him. She knew she was foolish to trust him. She had learned that from the Cullens. She had trusted them, had trusted _him_, with everything she had and they had left her and her father to Victoria. So she knew she was risking everything by trusting the strange vampire, but nowadays her choices were quite limited.

If this vampire killed her, he would just feed from her quickly and get it over with. Bella knew that Victoria would throw her around like James did, maybe worse. Bella forced herself to think of something else. She never let herself think about what Victoria might do if she caught her.

She would stay. She would sit still until the vampire spoke. Could she figure out why he had gone catatonic?

She had not really paid attention to him at first. He was a vampire in the diner, not a person. She had not been sure he knew how to behave in a diner. He had seemed confused by the menu, so she had given him information about what to expect so they could leave without anyone getting hurt.

She had not looked in his eyes until they reached the apartment. His eyes were dark and a little sunken. He probably needed to feed very soon and that might mean she was in danger simply because he was thirsty.

His clothes were worn looking and a little old-fashioned. Alice would never have let him wear such clothes even when they were new. He wore heavy work trousers, a plain shirt, and a jacket. He really should wear a suit if he wanted to blend in better. Even most working men wore suits when they were in town or traveling. The clothes looked cared for. He did not look wild like Victoria, James and Laurent had. They had not worn shoes. Bella could hardly imagine traveling without shoes. Bella's mother had always told her to wear not only her best gloves and hat when traveling, but also heels. That way, everyone would treat you like a lady. There were expectations that people had of each other, but those expectations were clearly different for vampires. The strange vampire was again different than Victoria, James and Laurent. He wore boots.

The vampire had a young face, but did not look young at all. He had seemed powerful and commanding, though he looked less so right now. He was . . . floundering? He was just as handsome as any of the Cullens. He had blond curly hair and strong looking hands.

The vampire moved his head slightly and focused his eyes on her.

"I'm sorry, miss, what is your name?"

"Bella Swan. Short for Isabella. And you are?"

"Major Jasper Whitlock, Miss Swan. I am pleased to meet you."

She had passed the test. He was not going to kill her. He had called her miss, not ma'am, knowing she was unmarried, and he had asked her name. That was all irrelevant if he was going to kill her for knowing about vampires. Her sense of relief seemed to stream out of her.

He could obviously sense it.

"I'm not going to feed from you any time soon, Miss Swan. I can't say I've made a final decision because things cannot continue as they are now. But I have nothin' against you and your situation is mildly interestin' to me. You also have somethin' I want, it turns out."

He was playing with her, not telling her what it was. Did he mean to make her uneasy or was he, God forbid, _flirting_ with her? She had not known how to flirt in Forks, but she had learned over the last few years. It was a very forward sort of flirting if he was. He had certainly succeeded in disconcerting her.

Major Whitlock gazed at her sardonically. "I want to know about the Carlisle Cullen and the deer. Did he feed from the neck like you do with a human? Can you feed from any animal with blood? How do they get the animals? What do they do with the bodies after they feed? Is there a difference between human and animal blood? "

Bella was surprised, but did her best to explain how the Cullens hunted. She told him about hunting in the woods and how much they seemed to enjoy it, about their preference for predators, and about how most of them seemed to struggle sometimes with the desire to attack humans. She told him of how she smelled better to Edward than any other human he had ever come across. When questioned, she admitted she only knew a little about the details of the hunt and could not tell him if they killed the animals before feeding or not.

"Edward wouldn't answer questions like that for me. He would change the topic of conversation. I asked him if I could see him hunt once and he was angry at the very idea. He said it was dangerous."

"It would be if he wanted to taste your blood as much as you describe. You could go huntin' with me and I wouldn't hurt you. There are almost always other humans fairly close by when I feed and I don't go after them. But it might be harder on this animal diet. It sounds like the animals don't taste good from the way you describe it."

There was a short silence. Bella dazedly wondered if this vampire had really just offered to take her hunting humans with him. She would find that quite difficult if her expected it of her. Would she rather die instead? But there was something else.

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden in the animal diet? You seem like you've been around for a while and you are obviously a human drinker. Not only are your eyes red, but you confirmed it just now." 

The Major eyed her speculatively. Bella was suddenly unsure and embarrassed. She seemed to have crossed a line.

"I won't answer that question yet. But I would consider it a favor, Miss Bella, if you would come hunting animals with me. I could put you up in a tree, maybe. I never heard of hunting animals before," he sucked in his breath here and Bella thought there was some strong emotion behind his words, "and I'd like to try it. But I think I'll need someone to talk to about it. Maybe give me some pointers."

Well, she had decided to stay, to trust that he might help her. And she had always wanted to see Edward hunt.

"Please don't consider it a favor. I'd be delighted to go hunting with you, Major Whitlock."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 5

Hunting had been a success on the whole. Jasper had enjoyed chasing the animals. He had not chased humans like that since the last century and he had not enjoyed it as much. Deer were faster than humans and bears fought back. He enjoyed chasing his food when he did not have to feel their emotions.

He had carried the animals back to Bella after he caught each one so she could see him feed. The first, a deer, had been messy. He snapped the neck first and drank, but he misjudged how to cut the pelt and vein and so some blood spurted on him. He had not eaten so messily since he was a newborn. It had been a little embarrassing to have the human, Miss Swan, watching him. He may even have projected his embarrassment. He had never been embarrassed about anything before—maybe as a human he had been embarrassed? Certainly not as a vampire.

He had not spilled blood again, and he had not snapped the neck of the second animal, a bear, before draining it. It had been truly pleasurable to drink straight from the artery as the bear's heart helped push the blood into his mouth. He had not fed from a human like that since he had left Mexico.

The blood had not tasted good at all. The bear was marginally better than the deer, but neither compared to human blood. It had also taken several hours to get out of Philadelphia and into a forest where he could hunt animals. However, everything else about the hunt was superior to hunting humans. It was enjoyable, there were no horrifying emotions to feel, and he could act like a vampire not like a human when hunting. Best of all, he was quite full. A bear had more blood than a human and a bear and a deer together was like having fed on two humans, not one. Even if the blood was less satisfying, if he could keep himself full so easily, it should be quite possible to avoid humans altogether.

There had also been some entertainment. After killing the bear, he had jumped up into the tree in which he had located the human, landing on a branch in front and just below her. She had been shocked, but seemed to recover and then she had fainted. He had had to jump out of the tree again to catch her. It had taken several minutes for her to awaken and Jasper had been at a loss what to do besides lay her on the ground. Apparently she was made faint by the sight of blood and seeing it on his shirt right in from of her had made her ill. He buttoned up his jacket so she would not have to see it. He would have been annoyed that she had kept such pertinent information to herself had the whole situation not been so amusing. The only human he knew who lived after knowingly meeting vampires and she was unusually sensitive to blood. He scolded her about not telling him about the blood, though, so she would understand to keep him fully informed in the future.

She was asleep in her bed right now. He sat in the front room waiting for his shirt to dry from a thorough washing and thinking about the day and what would happen next.

He had put the human at some risk, taking her hunting with him. Not the kind of risk her boyfriend had talked of, but the kind the boyfriend had actually put her in. It would have been a problem if another vampire had come across them out there, with her scent on him and his on hers. He had prepared a story just in case. He would say that he was about to turn her and that he was making sure he was full before trying because he did not want to drain her. That should keep them both alive long enough to make the other vampires leave, or for Jasper to find an advantage so he could kill them. He was not sure if he would actually have turned her or not if the situation had called for it.

The real reason he had taken her with him hunting was because he decided that the risk of coming across unknown vampires while hunting was much smaller than the risk that Victoria would take the human while he was gone. There was no smell of vampires other than himself on the girl or in her apartment, but that did not mean that she was not under some sort of surveillance. It could be that Victoria merely checked on this Bella girl periodically and it had been awhile since she had done so. Jasper agreed with Bella that it was surprising that she had let Bella go. He also wanted to know more about why Bella had assumed that he himself was connected with Victoria. There may be more information to root out there than she had given him so far. She would need to tell him every detail she could at some point so that he could find and kill Victoria and Laurent. He would need to do this regardless of whether the human was changed.

He laughed softly, thinking of all the unnecessary questions about feeding from animals he had asked the girl so that she would not realize he had brought he along as much for her protection as for his need.

He wasn't planning on lying to her for long, but he thought easing in to constant surveillance would be better than telling her flat out. Besides, some of his questions were real.

He had also thought that proving to her that he could feed in front of her without hurting her might cause her to relax around him. She was still apprehensive, sometimes almost overwrought, all of the time.

Jasper's brain came back around to what he had been trying to avoid since hearing the girl's story, something the hunting had given him a chance to put off for a short while. He would have to find Peter and Char soon. He had proved he could hunt with the girl, but it would be difficult (and eventually annoying) to stay with her all day every day. It would be better to split the responsibility between 3 people. And that was true if she remained human or if she was turned.

He wanted to see Peter and Char and talk to them of his new diet, get them to try hunting with him and see what they thought. He was not sure that they would want to change themselves. After all, neither of them had the trouble he did feeding from humans. He could not believe that the solution to his problems had fallen so easily into his lap. It was almost too good to be true. He owed Bella for telling him about feeding from animals.

But he didn't want to tell Peter and Char about Bella. He did not want to hear form Peter about the great Major following a little human around. Not that he was. She was following him around. He did not want Peter and Char to say that of course he should kill her, or, worse, offer to do it for him. There was still a month before they should get back to the small house they had all bought in Montana. Jasper and Peter had been able to sell things they had accumulated over the years when they left Mexico. Old coins, weapons, books. They had not taken much with them, either when Peter and Char fled or several years later when Peter came back for Jasper. But everything they had taken was worthless when they acquired it, but valuable now. Peter and Char had gone traveling for a year when he left. He could travel to the house right now, but he did not think he should even consider turning the human without discussing it with Peter and Char. She would be a part of the coven for at least a few years, possibly permanently.

Waiting a whole month with the human seemed like a cheat if he was not going to turn her. He was already in her debt for teaching him to feed from animals.

The problem boiled down to two things, one more important than the other. First, while Bella had clearly wished to be a vampire before, she may not want to be anymore. She had been lied to about vampires before, kept from the reality of a vampire's life. He would not let this stop him from changing her if he thought it best, but it would be annoying to have a resentful newborn on his hands. And that led to the second problem. He did not want to deal with a newborn ever again. Nor did Peter. Probably Char was not interested either, though her experiences in Mexico had been only a year long and she had never had to train other newborns, like him and Peter. He and Pete had promised each other that they would never have to go through any of that again. True, one newborn was not much compared with 20 at a time. And there would be the three of them to help her.

What if they refused to help? Would Jasper be willing to train her on his own? He rather thought yes, if he was deciding to do it in the first place. This human already knew and respected him. She had modified her behavior and emotions when he had set limits already. It would be a different experience training a newborn how to survive and defend, not fight. She might be less unwilling and he could be less harsh. He felt his objections weakening. Training Bella might not be so bad. And it would only be one or two years, not 80 years of torture.

There was also the issue of Victoria. The woman was clearly unhinged since she slaughtered Bella's father and then allowed Bella to leave. She was a danger not only to Bella and the Cullens, but to all vampires because she was clearly just as willing to risk the secret as the Cullens had been. Yes, Jasper would need to track this Victoria and kill her, even if he decided to kill Bella.

Then there was the issue of the Cullens. They had behaved recklessly. They should not escape the consequences of their actions or they might do something like this with another human. It was not clear to Jasper if they understood how dangerous their decisions had been. It was also possible that they did things like this frequently, an idea which filled him with disgust. Bella may not have been the first girl seduced by the vampire, or by the family. He could not believe they regularly left girls behind for vengeance-seeking females, but they might have told girls all over the world about the secret. There was no way to know. He would not have known about Bella, despite her odd behavior in the diner, if it had not been for the scar on her wrist.

What is Peter and Char thought he was wrong to change her at all? He could not have a rift in the coven. He realized that he had asked the wrong question, really. If Peter or Charlotte did not want Bella changed, they would all discuss the reasons and decide together. Either he would be swayed by their arguments or they would be swayed by his. This was not something that could damage _his _coven. No final decision could be made until Pete and Char met the human and heard about the situation.

When the girl awoke he would tell her that they were leaving for Montana.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 6

"What possible reason can there be for me to go to the dining car?" Jasper glared at the human girl.

He was wearing one of the two suits she had insisted he buy yesterday. Wasn't appropriate clothing enough?

"You need to appear human. The porters will notice if you don't eat at least one meal. You did not sit for lunch, and now dinner, too? Many people skip breakfast, but not if they did not eat dinner the night before."

"How can it matter if the porters notice? They will never see me again."

"To be honest, that does not sound like you. Every irritating detail you have pulled out of me over the last few days because you don't want to miss anything or make a mistake. And here you are refusing to pretend to eat dinner even though it will draw attention to us with the group of people most able to get information about us on this train."

The human was right. How very annoying. There was no reason to compromise himself because he did not want to eat human food. What he had not told Bella was that he was a little thirsty, too, and preferred to avoid other humans as much as possible. The dining car would be full of tasty people. Maybe the taste and smell of human food would help drown out the smell of humans.

"Fine!" he snarled and stood up, towering over Bella. "But, little girl, if I kill someone it is on your head."

Bella huffed.

XXXXXX

Within 10 minutes, he had ground the majority of the food into dust, but he had still had to swallow some of it and drink the vile liquid. The human seemed to like what she was eating.

"Slow down!"

He lifted an eyebrow at her, not sure what she meant.

"Humans don't usually eat that fast. Act as if you are enjoying the meal, or at least the company."

"I'm not."

Bella looked stunned. Her feelings were suddenly of deep mortification and an intense pain, a feeling that had been lurking through her when she had told him of the vampire Edward. "I was only trying to make sure no one thought we were unusual. I did not mean that you had to actually enjoy my company. I see no reason why you should."

He sighed. He would have to explain.

"Miss Swan, I was not remarkin' on your company, but rather the experience of being in this dining car. I am more thirsty than I should be and these circumstances are makin' it difficult. I don't like bein' told what to do all the time, but I also know that you know more than I do. I have followed your lead on clothes, transportation and now feedin'."

Jasper sent her a wave of respect to go along with his words.

"Oh." The human looked ashamed of her outburst, but her feelings were of relief, not shame. They changed to concern. "Do you need to leave? I shouldn't have made you come. You're right, it would be my fault if you killed someone. I insisted you come. I'm sorry, Major."

Jasper was exasperated. Bella was a woman most of the time, but occasionally she lapsed into behaving like a young child.

"My actions are your responsibility only if you deliberately give me false or incomplete information or advice. You advice was good and your reasonin' sound. I would not have come if I could not handle the smell of the humans. The animal blood doesn't seem to last like human blood does. I need to hunt again soon or I'll start craving humans."

"We should not have taken the train after all. I thought you would last longer since you had just hunted. Now that I think about it, Edward would go hunting once a week. He only went for a big hunt once a month or so, but he would leave me alone at night to hunt at least once a week."

"Well, it might have changed our minds about traveling by train, but you were right that I could not have carried you for three days straight. I mean, I could have, but I'm not sure you would have lasted so well. And it was difficult getting out of the city. We should think seriously about running once we arrive in Chicago. It's less than a whole day. If I can find a way, I will have some blood on the train. I don't see how, but maybe there are some animals in baggage."

Bella was nonplussed by this. Jasper liked nonplussed. He had always felt that it was surprise and shock, but not strong enough to bother him.

She recovered herself. "Well, then I suppose the bus is totally out. It's too bad neither of us can drive."

XXXXXX

Jasper and Bella had found the beds laid out when they returned to their accommodations. The sleeper car had been much more expensive, but privacy seemed important in their case. Space for Jasper to be away from humans, and defense for Bella just in case another vampire was insane enough to travel by train.

Jasper had decided that he could act as though he wasn't tired. Surely there were other passengers who did not sleep immediately? He wandered slowly through several cars, absently flicking his lighter.

He remembered when, only just over 10 years ago, a few years before Peter and Charlotte ran away, someone had brought a lighter to the camp. It was immediately the hottest commodity Jasper had ever seen. He still had his tinderbox. It was the same one he had brought from home when he had left to be a soldier. He had thought of selling it along with some of the other things he and Peter had used to purchase the house, but it was the only thing he had that he knew came from his own home rather than being part of his equipment as a soldier.

A lighter meant that he did not have to carry a bag with him wherever he went. It just slipped into his pocket, and instant protection. He should get one for the human if she did not already carry one. While she could not rip a vampire apart, she could set one on fire once he had done so. He wondered how she would do in such an emergency.

"Sir, there's no smoking here, sir. The smoking lounge is open for another half hour, but some gentlemen smoke outside in between the cars, if they don't mind the movement and the noise." Jasper looked at the porter, one he had not seen before, and thanked him. Was this something you tipped for? He needed his human guide here to tell him.

XXXXXX

Jasper enjoyed the wind of the train. It breezed through human scents in the small towns they passed through so that the scents were unnoticeable. The speed of the wind reminded Jasper of a gentle run through the forest and helped him feel relaxed. There were only a handful of times he had run _slowly_; he had rarely had the luxury. The noisy repetition and rocking of the train was also calming.

He had thought of many things and nothing at all over the last hour or so as he stood here behind the caboose. He had thought of the shopping and arguing about transport that had taken two days of time in Philadelphia. To be fair to the human, she had been quick about the shopping, but the arguing had been tedious. He was still surprised that she had won most of the arguments, but he put it down to his lack of knowledge of humans, particularly modern humans. He would never have thought of traveling any other way than by foot.

When he was growing up in Texas, people could travel by foot, horse, or wagon. There were not even any carriages in some parts of Texas, and they weren't built for lengthy travel. He had never been on a train before, never thought he would be on one. He had watched the development of technology like this through newspapers at first, then more recently in person. When the railroads came to Texas after the War of Northern Aggression, people had said it was Yankee carpetbaggers coming to control what they hadn't defeated.

Peter had had a grand old time with the telephone when he first got his hands on one. He would act as if he was going to place a call, but divert the operator by asking her questions. Jasper had lost when he put money down that Peter couldn't keep an operator distracted for more than 10 minutes. Peter had had a conversation with her for over half an hour and then hung up without placing a call. Peter hadn't won the bet, though. Char had. She thought Peter would keep the operator on the line for 2 hours. He couldn't do that.

Maybe they should get a telephone in the Montana house. Many people had them nowadays, or shared a line with their neighbors. It would be handy in a situation like this one if they could call each other every now and then. Not that there would be any other situation like this, ever. Jasper hoped.

He still wasn't sure what should happen to Bella. She was smart, though, and he suspected that he, Peter and Char could stand to be updated by a modern person. Bella couldn't drive, but she had used a telephone and a shower, studied science in school, and knew how to pay for food in a diner and clothes in a department store. He thought maybe they should all learn to drive, if Peter hadn't already in the last year. Maybe Pete shouldn't learn to drive. No telling what he'd get up to.

Jasper stepped back as the train brushed past a low-hanging tree. He saw a deer feeding next to it. Suddenly, he leaned out and looked back at the train. Only a few windows were lit and he would need to worry about all the dark ones since the people inside them would be able to see outside. How quick could he be? He glanced at the woods near the track again. No way but to find out.

Jasper leapt off of the train.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 7

Bella tossed and turned in the bed the porter had pulled out while she and Major Whitlock were at dinner. She had slept well the last two nights, better than she had for years, but now she could not seem to fall asleep.

She did not know why. Was it because she had felt safe with a new vampire to protect her? While this was certainly possible, it did not seem all that likely since he seemed all too willing to kill her in the future even though he had no immediate plans to do so. She remembered the first few weeks on the run from Victoria, constantly traveling, unable to sleep at all unless from sheer exhaustion. She had slept for a whole day and a half on an old farm in Northern California once she had finally fallen asleep. An older couple, maybe 20 years older than Charlie, owned the farm. Both of their sons had died in the war and they had been trying to convince their daughter and her husband to move back from Chicago to take over the farm. The woman had washed Bella's clothes while she slept and fed her well. They knew something was bad had happened to Bella. She was still talking in her sleep back then. They had told her she could stay even though she knew little of farming. She had told them that she would be found if she stayed and had thanked them. She called the couple three months later from a rooming house telephone just to hear their voices and make sure that they were still alive. She had not been so good at hiding back then and she had been worried ever since that the couple would have been the first victims of Victoria that Bella had left in her wake.

It would be restful if Jasper killed her. She would no longer have to try so hard—or at all. She would go to heaven and see Charlie (if Edward was right about God) and she would be forgiven all of the petty thefts and abandoned relationships in her past. She would even be forgiven for being a thoughtless child who could not see beyond herself to the danger she had brought on her father. What a fool she had been! All those days with Alice and Edward in and out of her home and even nights when Edward would stay in her room she had put not only herself but Charlie at risk. How could she have ignored such an obvious risk? Had she really been so selfish?

Was there anything she would miss if Jasper killed her? She tried to think of something. There were many things she might have regretted before, but it was hard to care about them anymore. Even remembering was a little difficult, as if they had all happened to someone else. At one time she would have regretted never experiencing sex, but the idea was faintly repulsive to her now. She would never get enough to a man to love him and she thought sex with a stranger would make her feel even more estranged from the rest of humanity than she did already. She no longer enjoyed reading much; she now read only nonfiction, newspapers and detective novels. She preferred puzzles to reading when she had spare time, especially mathematical ones. She liked reading about biology and animals and had raised eyebrows at the local library in a small town she had stayed in for almost a year.

Had she been sleeping well because the choice of surviving was no longer in her own hands? Jasper now made that decision, Jasper and the rest of his coven, as he explained it to her. Bella had no choice. Jasper would keep her alive, she thought, even if she decided to die, at least, until he had got what he wanted out of her. She rather admired how he had taken on the responsibility for finding and killing Victoria (and Laurent, too? She wasn't as sure about him). She wondered if her planned to use her as bait somehow. She did not think she would mind if he did, even if that was how he planned for her to die, so long as it was quick. Would she do the same in his place? No, but she was not a survivor like Jasper. Bella laughed scornfully at herself as she thought that. No, she let other people fight her battles. Perhaps the Cullens saw that in her and that was partly why they would not take the responsibility themselves.

Perhaps it was just the train keeping her awake rather than the absence of her protector. She had not truly understood until he had spelled it out for her that he was struggling with his thirst. She had blithely pulled him through a department store and a market, both teeming with people, and then insisted that they take a train, also filled with people, and which he was stuck on for a day and a half. She tried to think back to how she had behaved with Edward and Alice. Had she been so callous with them? She thought not, because she could not think of any demand she had ever made of their time. The only demand she had made of Edward was in the hospital after James attacked her when she had insisted he stay with her. Would it have been better if he had left her then? Could it have kept Charlie alive.

Bella decided to sit up. Trying to sleep was not working.

Could she ask Major Whitlock flat out if she talked in her sleep? He already seemed to think she was a little crazy.

Bella turned on the little light and pulled out the novel she had bought at the train station, _Why Shoot a Butler?_ Perhaps trying to read would help put her to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 8

I glared at my companion as we stepped off the train onto the platform in Chicago. The passenger in front of us had been telling her husband about seeing a man climbing onto the train last night. She kept insisting that she had seen what she had seen.

"Now, honey, why would he be wearing a suit if he was jumping onto a train to rob it? Sounds like a job for work clothes to me."

Apparently the night porter had dismissed her concerns, too. Good thing no one would listen to her, though I felt a twinge of sympathy for the woman. I had been keeping my mouth shut about the supernatural for four years now. I took a deep breath and let my frustrations go. Maybe there was a reason that vampires don't travel by train.

The Major followed behind me with our two suitcases. He quickened to walk beside me and lifted his elbow, offering to let me loop my arm through his. There were ways he was good at blending. We looked like a young married couple. Happily married.

It was funny that I knew so well what that looked like. I felt I had always known what happily married looked like even though my own parents' marriage was such a debacle. How do you learn what happiness is? How do you learn to be part of a happy couple when you've never learned how from your own family? I had no way of knowing. My only relationship was a failure, though I was not willing to take much responsibility for the deceit of my professed partner.

I was startled from these musing by the Major letting go of my arm with a hiss. We had reached the end of the platform and were about to enter the station proper.

He leant down and whispered in my ear.

"I'll be behind you, watching. There is another vampire here. He should not see us together. Walk out of the station and go east. Go into the first diner or restaurant you find and stay there until I find you. If I'm not there by closing, be back at the station in two days. If I'm still not there, go to Peter and Charlotte. Tell them I sent you."

I kept walking and he was no longer beside me. I was terrified it was a terror that was, by now, familiar. I walked forward looking neither left nor right and weaved through the crowds toward the exit.

I did not see anyone who appeared to be a vampire on my way out. I panicked when I got outside, realizing that I had no idea which direction east was in a large city like this. Fortunately, we had chosen a train with an arrival time of late in the day in case it was sunny when we got to Chicago. It was after 4 in the afternoon and the sun was still visible in the sky sinking slowly to my left as I went out of the station. I turned right.

Was Jasper relying on the directions he had given me to find me, or was he going to follow my scent? Could he even do that in such a large and crowded city? How long would a human scent linger in the air? How I wished I had asked Edward more practical questions when I had had the chance. I would add it to the list of things to talk to Jasper about. If I knew how, I could do my best in the future to make following my scent easy. Or hard, if Victoria found me.

How I prayed that it was not Victoria or Laurent who Jasper had scented. I had relaxed into the safety of his company. It had become the Major's problem to keep me safe instead of my own. I knew that he might kill me in the end, but since it would not be until after we reached Peter and Charlotte's, I had assumed I was safe for the next few weeks. I had let my guard down, and now I was alone again. I could hope that it was temporary.

I spied a small diner with dirty windows. I would stand out a little in it, I was dressed in my best for the train, and this diner was not somewhere a lady would go, as my father (or Edward) would have expressed it. I took off my gloves, making sure the cuff of my coat still covered the bite from James, and stuffed them in the pocket of my coat. I undid one of the buttons on my coat and pulled it so that it did not appear to fit as well. I pulled at my hair a little so it was not so tidy. I now regretted fixing it again just before the train pulled in.

I hoped Jasper would come quickly. I thought it unlikely he could get hurt from a lone vampire in the middle of a train station, so I was only a little worried about him. It was my own anxiety that bothered me.

What if Jasper did not come? Should I take this opportunity to escape him? After all, he or his coven might decide to kill me still. But leaving Jasper left me in the same terrified place I had been before I met him. Jasper offered me something no one else could. He offered me an end to the terror. He might kill me, but he also might let me go or turn me into a vampire. I was fairly certain that no matter what he did with me, he would end Victoria and Laurent as soon as he could find them. The fact that the Cullens had allowed them to live without even making an effort to find them had been what he was most upset about when I told him my story. He was not outraged about the death of my father as I was. He seemed to think it unsurprising. Leaving me alive was bad enough, according to the Major, but leaving me alive when there were witnesses that I knew of vampires was insane.

I sat down in a booth at the back of the restaurant and ordered soup from the diffident waitress.

I had not brought a newspaper with me form the train, so I was left with only my thoughts. Perhaps I could start reading books again. Biographies. The papers were useful for looking for signs of vampire killings, but was I handing that job over the Jasper?

I was still here, in the diner. I hadn't taken the first opportunity to run.

The Major could have taken me and run, literally, from my room in Philadelphia. Instead, he tried hunting animals, let me take him shopping for suitable clothes so he could seem more human, and agreed to take a train across country instead of running or driving. He was not behaving like someone determined to kill me. He was learning from me, learning what I had to teach him. He might kill me at the end of all of that, but it seemed to increase my chances of survival that he viewed me as someone with useful knowledge. Even if he learned all he could from me, it surely would be harder to kill me at the end of it.

I thought back to our discussion about how to travel to Montana. I had argued strenuously against being carried while he ran all the way to Montana, having to explain the sorts of things a human had to do (and how often we have to do them.) I had not blushed so much since I had listened to Emmett's jokes. The Major had rather quickly agreed that running so far would not work well, but driving would have been problematic when I suggested that instead. The Major did not know how to drive. I could have taught him, but that would have added time on, and a car couldn't beat a train for speed anyway.

The Major had expressed a desire to learn to drive in the future, though.

Maybe, with the other vampire at the train station, we would drive the rest of the journey.

I realized I had decided not to run. I wanted everything settled and I didn't see that I was risking my life more with the Major than I was staying on the run from Victoria. And there were benefits. I was sure the Major would kill me quickly, not torture me beforehand like Victoria had threatened to do.

I had finished my soup but the waitress paid no attention to me. Good. I would sit here until she noticed me and that would take a very long time. The diner was just the right place for me to wait. No one would pay me any attention here.

I looked up as the bell on the door rang and saw Jasper walking in. The waitress perked up a little but slouched down again as Jasper nodded to me, a look of mild relief and irritation on his face.

He put a few dollars on the table and raised his eyebrow at me, probably asking if that was enough. I nodded and got up, putting on my gloves and buttoning my coat all the way since there was no longer a need to blend into the atmosphere of the diner.

"We'll find a hotel for the night," Jasper said.

It was clear that I should not ask questions now.

"All right, Major. Shall I lead the way?"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing but my own words. The characters belong to Ms. Meyer and a very small number of the words do, too.

1949

Chapter 9

I fell back and walked slowly for a few paces to allow the human to get well ahead of me. I continued to watch her through my peripheral vision until she left the buildin' as I left the train platform and entered the main terminal.

I knew I would need to approach this vampire, something which was impossible if I had a human with me. If she were my meal, I would not be approachin' another vampire and he would smell something fishy. Though Bella did not smell anything like fish, even live ones. She smelled . . .floral, and like some variety of spice.

Even after she left the buildin' I continued to follow her emotions for another few minutes until I lost them. She had been calmer than I thought likely.

I hoped that I had made the correct decision, and that this was not an ambush. If it was, I had probably handed Bella over to them and the only remainin' chance for her would be that I would find her while they tortured her and before they killed her. However, the emotions of the vampire were nothing like those of someone waiting to ambush, and there was only a small chance that he was the dupe of someone else.

I scented the vampire and found him sittin' on a bench in the far corner of the main terminal. He was scenting the humans who walked past and his eyes were a little dark. Huntin'?

I walked into his line of sight, standin' about 15 feet away and paused.

He eyed me cautiously, no doubt taking in my scars. I held my free hand out and down, palm facin' the vampire. He waved me toward him with a nod of his head.

Casual and relaxed was the way to go with this one, I thought.

I sat on the bench, leaving a foot or so of space between us.

"Jasper Whitlock."

"Garrett Brewer. Just traveling through. You?"

"Yes, I just took a train for the first time. Interestin' experience. Not sure I'll repeat it. It's confinin'."

"Jasper, may I ask you, your eyes are a strange color. They are more orange than red. Why is that?"

I could not have asked for a better opportunity.

"I heard a rumor about a coven that feeds from animals. I had my doubts, but I thought I'd try one to see what it was like. I ate a bear. It doesn't taste like much, but it was fun to wrassle with before I subdued it."

"It's not a rumor, I know the coven leader. I met Carlisle maybe 70 years ago. I haven't met any of his coven, but I got a letter from him in 1928 saying that he'd sired a male and also found his mate. They all feed from animals. Carlisle's a good fellow, but strange. He tried to get me to feed from animals, but I wasn't interested. Never tasted human blood, that one."

"I'll have to try and find them sometime. Always looking for new experiences, and like I said, the bear was a good time until I actually ate it. Are they nomads? Huntin' animals would make for easy travelin'."

"No, Carlisle had a permanent home in Ithaca and another in New Hampshire somewhere. They move from house to house. Carlisle is a human doctor, if you can believe that. I think they were looking into the northwest, too. Jasper, if you don't mind, I don't want to start something, and you seem like a friendly fellow, but you've got a lot of scars and you're asking questions about a friend of mine."

I looked hard at him and tested his emotions carefully. He was sincere, but distrustful. They matched his words.

"I'm interested in the diet. There are things that I don't like about feedin' from humans."

Garrett looked at me doubtfully. His emotions showed that, while he didn't disbelieve me, he found it difficult to reconcile my words with his impression of me.

He had a point. I had been surprised Bella was so acceptin' of my interest in feedin' from animals without asking why. Of course, she couldn't see the scars and apparently she was used to vampires who fed from animals.

"I can tell you don't fully believe me. I don't want to go into my reasons, but I will say I was detached from some responsibilities a few years ago and am now explorin' what else is out there. I'm travelin' somewhere right now, but later on I may want to check out these Cullens, see how they live, how they feed. I've been tryin' all sorts of new things. That's why I took the train here. It's a marvel. Not so useful for a vampire since we can run faster, but it must be wonderful for humans."

Garrett's emotions relaxed a fraction. The idea of me bein' someone who was trying new things seemed believable to him. It was even, almost, true. I _was_ tryin' new things, but that was due more to my human travelin' companion than it was to my desire to check out the world. When I had gone off from Peter and Charlotte, I had been followin' emotions, not new experiences.

I needed to wrap this up and find Bella. There was still a chance, a small one, that she would be swept up by another vampire while she was alone.

I knew that no other vampires had been in the station when we left Philadelphia, or on, or near, the train and I did not see how a vampire could have figured out where we were goin'. But if they had known, or followed Bella's scent to the platform after we left, they could have figured it out and then arrived here before us. It was a small chance, so I had not shared it with Bella, but I had been worried when I smelled Garrett and I was still worried.

"I need to be on my way. It was a pleasure, and I'd be happy to run into you again, Garrett, but I wasn't meanin' to stay in Chicago." I thought for a split second. Vampires don't touch easily since our scent lingers longer when we do, but I held out my hand.

Garrett looked down at my outstretched hand and gave me a brief shake.

"I'd be happy to see you again sometime, too, Jasper. Maybe chew the fat."

"It'd be a pleasure."

I strolled away.

I was reassured as soon as I was out of the terminal. I turned purposefully East and looked for the first diner. I could sense Bella's emotions before I walked in and relaxed even though her anxiety replaced my own.

I paid for Bella's human food and hooked her hand into my free arm. I followed her lead as she found us a hotel for the night and checked us in. It was a nicer place than where she had been livin' in Philadelphia. I was pleased she had chosen somethin' better. I didn't have a huge amount of money, but I figured she could still be treated right. And a clean bathtub sounded real good to me. Somethin' I could indulge in while the human slept.

She cornered me as soon as we were in the room. Not the ambush I was expectin', but maybe I should have been.

"Spill, Jasper. I want to know all about the vampire and I realized that I don't really know much about you. For some reason, I thought you'd be safe, that you could handle yourself, but I don't really know that for sure. I'm not trying to pry, but you need to tell me about yourself."

I filled her in on Garrett while I thought about what I wanted to say about myself. I wasn't worried about scarin' her. She seemed sensible so no matter what I said about my past I figured she knew I was a better bet than Victoria. I just had never told anyone what I'd done before. Peter and Charlotte knew who I was and what I'd done, maybe not everything, but Peter had seen most of the worst for himself. And I hadn't talked to anyone else since we left the South.

We had avoided other vampires. Two years ago, I would have found a back route out of the station to avoid confrontin' a vampire I'd scented. Five years ago, I probably would have waited and ambushed Garrett myself to find out why he was there. It had taken a while to stop actin' like I was still at war.

I paused for a moment after I told her about what Garrett had said about the Cullens. She was gettin' impatient and I knew she was about to open her mouth and insist I talk.

"Why don't you tell me what you think of me first," I think she could tell that was an order, not a request.

She looked at me for a moment, ponderin' me. Even feeling her emotions, I couldn't tell if she was rebellin' against my insistence or thinkin' what to say to me. Then she gave me a little speech.

"You are very strategic. You seem like you can probably handle yourself in a fight since you always seem to be watching for someone to attack us. Your rank seems like it was from when you were a human, but unless you were turned recently, I think you must have had some kind of military experience as a vampire, too, because you are so used to people following orders. I am about as unmilitary as it gets, but you give me orders frequently. And your orders are always very clear. I . . . I think you're holding something big back from me. There's a reason you're taking responsibility for me instead of just running to the Volturi. And I think you're in the middle of some kind of crisis. I know I can't trust what Edward told me about vampires, but changing your diet and traveling across country with a human is not normal vampire behavior. James and Victoria wouldn't ever do that. At least, Victoria might travel across country with me, but not the way you have."

Anger and fear filled me, though I was also impressed. "Anythin' else you want to tell me about me?"


End file.
